NATO; Trump says its not OK



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What is NATO? When was it formed and for what purpose?

Due to the rise of communism, the United States and 11 other Western nations came together to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949.   From its inception, its main purpose was to defend each other from the possibility of communist Soviet Union taking control of their nation. Due to this USSR also formed an organization with communist countries called the Warsaw Pact.



Has NATO been successful in its history?

NATO has been highly successful for many nation members (particularly European) who aren’t as military prepare as the United States, because they enjoy an umbrella of protection that their Western superpower co-member provides. It also benefits the United States in a different way, by allowing the U.S. to project a global presence close to the borders of non members (particularly Russia), but in that regard, and with the example of Crimea, it may have proven to be more trouble than it’s worth.

How much has the US contributed to NATO in the past?


If Trump is talking about indirect spending on NATO, which exceeds direct funding, he begins to have a point. U.S. officials have long complained that other NATO members are not pulling their weight in the alliance; President Obama recently asserted to Atlantic Monthly’s Jeffrey Goldberg that some European allies are “free riders,” a term that Trump echoed in his CNN interview.

English: Map to show current affiliations of E...
English: Map to show current affiliations of European Countries with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Several NATO Member areas not included in the map, such as the United States, Canada, Greenland, and French Guiana. Česky: Mapa zobrazující partnerské smlouvy NATO v Evropě a okolí. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: North Atlantic Treaty Organization in...
English: North Atlantic Treaty Organization in orthographic projection. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What is the current mission of NATO?

NATO is an active and leading contributor to peace and security on the international stage. It promotes democratic values and is committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes.  However if diplomatic efforts fail  it has the military capacity needed to undertake crisis management operations alone or in cooperation with other countries and international organisations.

Why does President TRUMP say it is obsolete?

The U.S. President Donald J Trump, believes that the other Countries that formed NATO don’t spend as much money as the U.S. does.  He thinks NATO is something left over from the Cold War that is unfair to the US for the price it pays in return for the reward.  In other words he thinks NATO is a “bad deal” for the US and instead wants to focus efforts on fighting terrorism.